To The Highest Bidder
by Burnt bread
Summary: Exposing secrets and catching phantom thieves are not easy tasks. Hikari, Niwa, Sato, Takeshi - who will be the highest bidder? I apologize for part 5, but it was necessary to set up the story.
1. 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, but if you go to my original fiction, I own all my reviews, and I worked very hard on them.  
  
To the Highest Bidder  
  
Emiko beamed at her son, resisting the urge to glomp him where he stood.  
  
"Dai-chan! Mummy's baby, you've grown taller. You're looking more and more like your father everyday," she sobbed happily into her handkerchief  
  
"Mum! Don't tell me you handed out another notice!" Daisuke hadn't even dropped his schoolbag yet.  
  
"What? Didn't you hear about it at school?" She asked, eyes wide, looking way too innocent, "I thought you already knew. Why, with that reporter friend of yours, I just assumed that you knew."  
  
"I'm not going," Daisuke protested, even though he knew that resistance would never be tolerated.  
  
Emiko sighed dramatically, "well, I guess it is your choice," she said, "if my little Dai-chan doesn't want to go tonight, I guess he could stay home to do his homework."  
  
Daisuke blinked, like a deer trapped in front of the bright lights of an oncoming truck. Who was this woman, and what had she done with his mother? A tinge of guilt tugged at his sleeve, and he looked down to see that it was not guilt; it was Wiz, his rabbit like pet and Dark's long time companion.  
  
"Kyu," Wiz looked up with happy eyes.  
  
An eyebrow twitched. Never the less, he didn't need to be told twice. He headed upstairs for his bedroom, out of sight, before his mother changed her mind. Emiko peeked around the corner to make sure Daisuke was heading for his room. She giggled quietly to herself. The door closed behind him.  
  
"Whaaaaaaa!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
The pants are too tight, Daisuke protested, even though he knew that the only person who heard him was Dark. And Dark liked tight. Daisuke sighed, unable to do much else right now, and sat back to watch Dark work. There was no doubt that his mother was evil in ways never heard before. Daisuke had entered his room with a life size poster of a smiling Harada-san, and Dark had taken over.  
  
"It's not you that's wearing them," Dark grinned, "right now, I'm wearing the pants."  
  
Daisuke took a moment to process what Dark had just said before mentally kicking the phantom thief.  
  
This is a shoujo fanfic! He exclaimed, chasing away those dirty thoughts.  
  
"I didn't say anything!"  
  
You were thinking it.  
  
In any other country, a large, winged silhouette, framed by the full moon, would have looked out of place, but in Japan, odd occurrences were right at home. Phantom Their Dark Mousy flew gracefully though the air, having had centuries of practice before, toward the art museum where he was due to make his appearance tonight, at 7:00pm.  
  
I will steal Ivy's Embrace at 7:00pm tonight. The note had read, plainly and neatly in his mother's writing. Then Dark's signature had been forged. Emiko had made a copy, just incase she lost the first one. She happily showed her son the notice. Daisuke hand winced. Dark had cheered. Tonight, they had left early, not wanting to be late. A late phantom thief was an unorganized thief, and unorganized thieves got caught, Dark had lectured when only Daisuke could hear.  
  
The museum, a familiar sight the town since Dark started showing up again, was easy to spot from the sky. Partly because the museum was brightly lit at night, and stood out from the little dotty lights that were houses, partly because, as they descended, it was clear that the structure of the museum was different to those around it, but it was mostly because of the large mob that had gathered in front of the place, hoping to catch sight of the phantom thief as he arrived, or during his escape.  
  
Dark brought his wings to land gracefully, and silently in the surrounding bushes. As soon as he landed, his long, powerful wings started to shrink back into his pet, Wiz.  
  
"Kyu!" the little bundle of cuteness chirped up at its owner hopefully, wondering if it will get to participate anymore tonight.  
  
"Yes, yes, I have a task for you, Wiz."  
  
"Kyu."  
  
He would do things slightly different this time, and he would be starting now, by not taking a perch on the trees. The crowd before him, with their backs turned, were bored. Those who had arrived were only here to get a good spot near the front. The police that were here were only here to hold off the crowd. Dark glanced at his watch. 6:40. What? They had arrived twenty minutes early! He was lost for things to say. This had certainly never happened before. Well, he mustn't let down his fans by leaving them standing, doing nothing. He grinned. Time for some fun.  
  
Officer Mousy walked out of the bushes, with a few leaves still trapped under his cap. No one questioned the policeman about his looks, even though a couple of people in the crowd turned to stare. Dark smiled pleasantly, tipping his hat.  
  
Waaaaa! Dark! What are you doing? Daisuke was less comfortable, I don't want to get caught!  
  
"Relax," he mumbled to his host, "what could possibly go wrong?"  
  
"Dark," came a familiar voice, soft and cool like a summer's breeze.  
  
Eeep! Dark spun around, and surely, there he was, as always.  
  
Hiwatari-kun! Daisuke exclaimed.  
  
Satoshi Hiwatari. Or to be more correct,  
  
"Supreme Commander Hiwatari," Dark finished.  
  
The boy was standing a few meters away in the crowd, but somehow, not part of the crowd. He was looking straight at the phantom thief.. Or so Dark and Daisuke thought at first. But no. Hiwatari was talking to someone. Someone from the female group of Homo sapiens.  
  
"What?" Dark exclaimed, not believing his eyes.  
  
Satoshi never talked to women. Never. It was practically an unwritten rule! Satoshi couldn't have been interested in women, and if he was, this was a piece of irresistible news.  
  
"I heard he's back," the girl smiled sweetly, "and now I come to see that it is true. This is certainly a great occasion."  
  
"Yes, it is," was the even reply.  
  
"I thought it would be a nuisance for police men like you. Dark's never been caught before."  
  
"I'm not a policeman, I'm a detective, Miss.."  
  
Brown chest length hair. Neat, with flower clips that held it back. She wore a plain white dress that went down to her knees. She wasn't bad looking, but she wasn't beautiful. Plain. Too plain. The only things amazingly out of place about her were her eyes. None of the act she was putting on for Satoshi seemed to reach those yellow eyes. Like a serpent, like a cat, like a.. There was no word to describe. It was clear that Satoshi would be watching out for this girl, not because he liked her, but because she seemed dangerous.  
  
"Mikada," was the answer, "Kaiyo Mikada. I believe I will be seeing you, Hikari."  
  
"My name's Hiwatari, Miss Mikada," if Satoshi hadn't been empty before, he was now. There was no trace of emotion in his voice.  
  
"Oh, really," Mikada smiled again, "I wasn't aware that your family changed its name."  
  
Satoshi stared at the girl as she walked away. I'm not a Hikari anymore, he said to himself.  
  
So you say, a voice replied, you're not a Hikari. Well, tell me, Satoshi Sama, how did you end up being stuck with me?  
  
"Shut up," Satoshi mumbled, closing his eyes and his hands into fists.  
  
You're angst is beautiful to me, master, even though it is undoing you.  
  
"I am not an angsty mess."  
  
One day, Satoshi-sama, I will take over to kill Dark. You will see. Then all this will be over.  
  
"But not today, Krad, not today, and not tomorrow. Until then, I'll handle things my own way."  
  
So you say.  
  
"Oh my God! It's Dark!"  
  
Satoshi looked up in the sky where the crazy fan girl was pointing. Surely enough there was that familiar silhouette. He frowned. A diversion, definitely. Dark was never this flashy. This meant that. crap! Satoshi ran towards the museum. Tonight, things would be done differently.  
  
- - - - - -  
  
B.B.: There! my first D.N.Angel fic.  
  
Tosh: Nay, you write many D.N.Angel fic. most of them are just not fit to be posted.  
  
B.B.: Shut up, idiot.  
  
Tosh: Uh, I don't think you should be calling me the idiot. Go check your disclaimer. "I don't own anything here, but if you go to my original fiction, I own all my reviews, and I worked very hard on them."  
  
B.B.: w00t!!! ARRRGGGG!!! NO! NO! NO! I EARNED all my reviews and I worked very hard FOR them!!!  
  
Tosh: No you didn't.  
  
B.B.: You, shut up.  
  
Tosh: Hey, I'm just a muse. Don't take it out on me! Anyway, readers, and potential reviewers, there WILL BE A TWIST in the story. Soon, hopefully. I'm sorry we wont be fulfilling every fan girls dreams by hooking a girl up with Satoshi. But that's enough information! Wait until next time. 


	2. 2

" 'A' is for accomplice, who pretends to steal the artifact," Dark grinned to himself as he punched in the override code to the storage wing, "and 'B' is for."  
  
Bad! Daisuke complained, stealing is bad.  
  
"Stealing? Me? Never!" Dark replied in mock shock, "No. 'B' is for bag. This is what I am going to put the real thing in."  
  
Click. He opened the door with minimum noise and damage, peering round the frame. The corridor was quite. Maybe a little too quiet, but it didn't bother Dark as he strolled along in the dark. As he walked past, he counted the doors on either side. 4. 5. 6. 7. 10! He looked up at the square outline in the ceiling. Air vents. Every phantom thief's best friend. Not including Wiz. It took little effort to pry open the grate and seconds later, the piece of rectangular metal slid back and clicked into place. Only when he had made his way to the first intersection, did he take the time to contact his accomplice. The communicator crackled to life.  
  
"Wiz, what's your position?" Dark whispered into the earpiece as he adjusted the setting. New technology, new equipment, new times. This is what he loved about being genetic. He lived, practically, forever. Nothing like never getting old and keeping that ass forever.  
  
You're a real narcissist you know that? Daisuke commented impatiently, I don't think other phantom thieves check themselves out in the mirror every time they transform.  
  
"You're just jealous because I'm taller than you."  
  
...That's not fair, Dark. Besides, I'm still growing. You're not.  
  
"Stop it! You're distracting me. Wiz, what's your position?"  
  
The phantom thief waited for a couple of seconds for a reply. Static. Damn new, unreliable technology! This was the last time he listened to the mother.  
  
Maybe Wiz is in trouble.  
  
"No way, Wiz never gets in trouble," Dark replied, reassuring himself as well as the boy.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Satoshi smiled, and removed his glasses, wiping the sweat from his forehead. It had taken him a record 10.34 seconds to climb six sets of stairs to the third level, where the Ivy's Embrace stood in all its glory. The Embrace was an artifact from the Hikari family. It was a miniature statue, made of the whitest marble, with dark green streaks trickling across her skin. Something definitely worth stealing, not that he was encouraging the behavior.  
  
The decoy had been taken care of. Decoy Dark, he liked to call the creature in the corner. He glanced over again, a small smile beginning to twitch its way into existence. No, the real Dark would not be afraid of-  
  
"-is for Cats. What kind of name is Cat for an animal? Nothing deserved to be called a 'cat', Dai-Dai. Oi, Hikari, you have gone too far this time."  
  
Handcuffs, fine. Cages, fine. Strange positions that involved Hikari on top, fine. But evil devil fluffy things with triangular heads and long tails cornering Wiz, is not fine.  
  
They're called cats.  
  
Right. Whatever.  
  
"And D is for Dirty. Hikari's are prone to fight dirty. They make you take pills, right? Evil pills that have side effects like Iamanerditus. Glasses make you look like a square. 2D object."  
  
Satoshi simply turned around, as calm as spring, and raised his eyebrows.  
  
"I wouldn't be trying to come up with insults if I were you," he replied, "I would be more worried about where you are standing."  
  
Dark looked down. A puddle of water, so what?  
  
"Oooh, look, I'm scared now," Dark mocked, his attention focused on the tasks ahead, "so scared that..." it was then he saw it, "that I didn't realize that the lights on this level had been turned off, you're standing near the switch, and there's some sort of wire trailing into the water."  
  
"E is for Electricity."  
  
"Nazi!"  
  
"Sticks and stones."  
  
Waaaaaaa, Daisuke screwed up his eyes, shutting them tight, Hiwatari-san is so scary.  
  
"Shut up, I'm trying to think!" Dark mumbled.  
  
He looked around. The nearest dry land was at least five steps away. Ivy's Embrace was at least another ten. Satoshi was standing with his hand resting gently on the switch. There was no way he could reach safety in time, let alone steal the target and save Wiz from the evil four legged, sneaky creature.  
  
They're called cats.  
  
Wiz and Satoshi, on the other hand, were closer to Dark. Closer to the puddle.  
  
"Dai, tell me more about these cat thinggies."  
  
Well, they eat mice, and they're descendent form lions and stuff. They spend most of their days sleeping and eating and they don't like water very much. They-  
  
Dark didn't wait for the boy to finish. He dropped, sliding his feet out underneath him. A spray of water showered the room; bring chaos with every droplet that landed on the animals. Wiz included. Satoshi narrowed his eyes as droplets landed on his glasses and obscured the vision. When the mist settled, the cats had gone. Dark was no longer confined to the puddle.  
  
"Switch on the lights now, pretty boy," Dark jeered as he balanced on the stand where Ivy's Embrace should have been standing.  
  
This put the thief out of danger. Satoshi looked down, and realized what Dark had done. The water was everywhere now. A fine sheet covered most of the ground, including the part where Satoshi stood. He snorted in disgust, expecting no less from such a villain. When he looked up again, Dark was gone.  
  
Why do you keep letting him go, master?  
  
Satoshi didn't reply. Instead, he gazed outside the window at the dark shape flying into the night.  
  
I can give you wings, Satoshi-sama. Wings to fly away from the pain you feel.  
  
He walked to the window, and leaned out, breathing the night air.  
  
"I'd like that," Satoshi nearly smiled, "But pain is what keeps me real."  
  
* * * * *  
  
B.B.: I know, I know, just don't kill me. Tosh: Took you bloody long enough to write the chapter. B.B.: Well, actually I wasn't going to continue with this one. But I got like, 5 reviews. *tear* thank you guys. Tosh: Ah yes. Let's hand out the thanks. First to JMJV. B.B.: heheh. Yeah, I have relatives. Woopie. But thank you for being the first to review. Tosh: Snow Man of Doom *lighting flashes thunder crashes* ha! I grow bold, and I speak his name! B.B.: It seems funny replying to revies written so long ago, but thanks again Snowman for bother here and Portals on FP Tosh: Melody. B.B.: Thank you for the compliment. I do try. Most of the time. Tosh: Keitorin B.B.: I'm glad you chose to read my fic. So that makes too glad people. I just hope you didn't have to wait too long. Again, very very sorry. Tosh: And Wizzu. B.B.: I'm glad you like it. To everyone, I will try to update as soon as as often as possible. Tosh: Right after Portals, of course. You need to write more of that too B.B.: yeah. Right after Portals. If anyone's interested in reading some original fiction, read my story on fictionpress.com. The story is called Portals and it's also by me. Yay. But in the meantime, adieu. 


	3. 3

Morning sunlight streamed proudly into the classroom through the windows. Daisuke never had any problem with his schoolwork. It wasn't particularly hard, and it wasn't particularly interesting. He was not at the top of the class in Maths, or Foreign Languages. No, that was Satoshi's job, but he wasn't bad either.  
  
Having nothing better to do with his life at this very point in time, he took the chance to glance back at the other boy, who sat in his own row at the back of the classroom. Satoshi was writing calmly in his note pad, a cool, calm, hardly noticeable presence behind Daisuke - until he looked up. Daisuke quickly turned back to look at the board, blushing slightly. He could feel the heat in Satoshi's gaze, drilling into the back of his head, daring him to turn around and look again. What was a calm lake moments ago had suddenly turned into the crater of an unpredictable volcano. Daisuke did not turn back to face Satoshi. He didn't dare. Instead, he opened his textbook and pretended to be studying hard, never mind the fact that his trembling hands were making the book shake and also the fact that the book was upside down. It was also beside the point that they had just finished their tests, and the teacher hadn't started class. In fact, there were still people walking into the room. A couple minutes more of pretending saw the whole class sitting down, with the teacher standing in front of the blackboard, ready to teach, or ask for homework, or introduce a new student, or whatever.  
  
"Students, today we welcome a new student into our class," the teacher gestured to the new arriver at the door.  
  
Well, at least it wasn't homework. Daisuke's friend, Saehara Takeshi didn't look like he had done any. How did Daisuke know? Was it that he was psychic? Or just that he noticed his friend hadn't brought any school equipment to school today? Both? None? We will never know.  
  
"Good morning," the newcomer was softly spoken, "my name is Mikada. Kyo Mikada. Please look kindly upon me."  
  
Out of courtesy, Daisuke glanced up, and so must have Satoshi as they both froze. There, in front of the classroom stood Kyo in all the school uniform's glory. Straight green hair that varied in shade within strands was loosely held back by white ribbon. A warm glow seemed to emit from his happy smile, which softened the glare in his yellow eyes. He looked familiar. Too familiar. Daisuke glanced back at Satoshi again. This time the other boy was busy typing in his laptop. What was he searching for? An identity? Was this person on the police hit list?  
  
You're an idiot. That's the girl that Satoshi was talking to last night. Mikada. Get it?  
  
Daisuke looked around. What?  
  
Dai-dai, have you forgotten the handsome, tall, charming phantom thief that leeches off your body already?  
  
No, Daisuke replied, I just thought you sleep during the day.  
  
Yes. That's what I want you to think so I can listen in on your secret conversations and deepest, yet so random, thoughts.  
  
Evil! Dark, you are evil, go away. Waaaaaa.  
  
Ok, ok, geez. Don't need to get all waaa about it.  
  
"You can sit in front of Niwa-san, Mikada," the teacher quickly pointed to someplace away from herself. The new student's smile was unnerving. No body attending school should be this happy. Nobody! She would have to work away on this one.  
  
Dark, however, was right. It took a bit of mind adjusting, and lateral thinking before he figured it out, but indeed this boy, and the girl from last night, were the same person. How could this be?  
  
"Excuse me, Niwa-san, could I please sit here?"  
  
"Sure," Daisuke replied a little too quickly, startled out of his thoughts.  
  
Kyo's smile seem to warm up even more, if that were possible, as he sat down, flipping his long hair behind him almost deliberately. Daisuke stared, slightly blushing, having nothing else better to do.  
  
"Psst!"  
  
His attention was again turned, this time to his friend, Saehara.  
  
"What?"  
  
"This is a Shoujo fanfic."  
  
The comment only made Daisuke blush more.  
  
"I wasn't thinking anything like that!" he replied defensively.  
  
Takeshi raised an eyebrow, "Really... You've been surfing the Internet, haven't you? The World Wide Web."  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"You've been going to FanFiction.Com and you've been reading all those fanfics about us with the X's and the R ratings, haven't you? Haven't you?"  
  
"Um..."  
  
He's onto us, Dark piped in.  
  
"-And all those ones about you and Satoshi-san and Riku, and Risa... ALL AT THE SAME TIME!"  
  
Waaaaaaa no! I don't read them! Dark, you're the one who reads them.  
  
Hey, I can't help it if people think I'm hot, ok?  
  
The boy shook his head vigorously, trying to get the bad images out of his head.  
  
"Students, now we start class," The teacher said, glaring at Takeshi who was known to cause trouble at regular intervals.  
  
Saved by the teacher. Daisuke let out a sigh of relief, as he rummaged around his pencil case of a pencil. The class had started, turning to page 32 in their workbooks, and Daisuke still hasn't found his pencil. It wasn't like him to forget. Those late nights with the phantom thief, plundering art museums, must be getting to him. He looked around desperately. No, Takeshi definitely didn't have a spare. Satoshi probably did, but he wasn't going to ask. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. The other boy would do or say something weird with implications of him knowing that Daisuke and Dark were the same person. This left...  
  
"Here you go."  
  
The poor boy, who only wanted one pencil, was bombarded hundreds that came out of nowhere and scattered across his desk. Daisuke looked up only to see the back of the student in front of him. Kyo. He looked back down at the pencils that ranged in design from Pikachu to love hearts. Among them, was a piece of inconspicuous scrap of paper. Daisuke unfolded the note, his eyes widening.  
  
BEST WISHES FOR THE NIWA FAMILY. WE HOPE TO DO BUISNESS WITH YOU SOON. MIKADA.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
B.B.: Sorry for taking so long, once again, to write the next chapter. Thank you to all those who reviewed.  
  
Tosh: Thank you, Melody Tune, who reviewed again.  
  
B.B.: Meow, sorry to make you wait so long between chapters. The muse doesn't always work.  
  
Tosh: OI!  
  
B.B.: But it's always good to have same reviewers the second time around.  
  
Tosh: Thank you, Ruby Moon.  
  
B.B.: I'm sorry you are confused. But don't worry, I'm confused too. We can be confused together. ^_^  
  
Tosh: Thank you, Silver Tears  
  
B.B.: Who is obviously a great DNAngel fan. Thank you for the praise. It all just goes straight to my head because the vacuum attracts it.  
  
Tosh: Thank you, Digitalized  
  
B.B.: uh... yeah... um... actually, this story isn't really planned. If you have any ideas, please tell me!  
  
Tosh: Thank you, Ancient.  
  
B.B. Thank you for reading my 'pretty and hilarious' fic. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I live to serve... milk.  
  
Tosh: Thank you Snowman  
  
B.B.: heh. Yeah, the Snowman. 


	4. 4

There were more people in the school library that lunchtime than usual on this particular day that just happened to be Wednesday. Which would have made last night when the phantom thief visited the museum, Tuesday night. Phantom thieves do not wait for the weekend to steal strange and wonderful artifacts. No, they steal at random. Makes things more unpredictable. More fun for Dark, and less fun for Daisuke's homework.  
  
"I'm not procrastinating, Daisuke" Takeshi leant over the table, pen in hand, scrap paper blank, "I like to do things at the last minute. See the way I got it figured, is that if you do everything at the last minute, you keep your options open."  
  
"More options are not helping your maths marks," his friend cautioned and pointed to the textbook, "we had to do this for homework."  
  
The future reporter sighed and got down to work. Daisuke sat back, watching his friend speed through the maths sums. When you put your mind to it, anything's possible. Saehara Takeshi was a genius in disguise.  
  
"There, see? Done," grinned the boy, "now I get to show you my article on Dark that I wrote last night."  
  
Daisuke smiled and blushed to stop himself from groaning and slapping his forehead. Dark. The newest sensation, the latest craze, resurrected for the new generation of crazy, obsessed fan girl mobs. The ego that had been built up over hundreds of years was enough to kill a lesser man. Yet, it continued to grow with every print, every gossip and every successfully stolen artifact. He stared at the headline.  
  
IVY'S EMBRACE - DARK'S EMBRACE  
  
"..."  
  
"So, what do you think?"  
  
"It's um, interesting. Very different. It's good, uh, yeah. Yeah, it's good."  
  
There was a pause in the conversation. Daisuke looked up to see his friend looking back at him, eyes wide and glittery. A single tear slid down from the reporter's cheek, and fell from his chin in dramatic slow motion. His words quivered, nearing to a sob.  
  
"I know."  
  
"."  
  
"But that's not all."  
  
An envelope was slapped onto the table; it's contents sliding onto the workbench where the two sat.  
  
"Look at these, look at these!"  
  
It took Daisuke's brain a couple of seconds to focus on the mass of color and shape in front of him. Dark. All of the pictures were of the phantom thief. He picked a picture out of the stack and held it up, studying it closely. It was Dark, all right. Daisuke frowned. But he didn't remember visiting America, and that was definitely the Empire State Building Dark was flying over.  
  
"Is this really Dark?" Daisuke had to know.  
  
"Yeah, most pictures are from the last time period Dark appeared," Takeshi explained, "Though, how Kyo-san get these pictures, I do not know."  
  
"Kyo-san? Do you mean Mikada?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
"It was nice doing business with you." Kyo smiled happily, folding the money carefully before putting it into his moneybag. It was nice to do business in general.  
  
A hand slapped down on his desk, making everything jump. Kyo looked up at ice blue eyes glaring down at him.  
  
"Your file is not in the police's computer system."  
  
Satoshi glared at the fellow student. He hated knowing less than the opponent. Especially one that continued to smile like an idiot when he was about to get punched in the face any moment now. He drew in a breath, pushed his glasses up against his eyes, and counted to ten.  
  
"Would my name show up in a police search?" the boy asked, "I mean, I'm not a criminal, if that's what your saying, Satoshi-kun."  
  
He studied the smile. He would find out what was hiding behind it, even if he had to take it apart piece by piece. Satoshi blinked. Was that him talking, or was it the demon inside his head? Did he use to think about ripping smiles apart?  
  
"Everyone's data is recorded in police files. To not have your profile in it means that-"  
  
"I'm not real?"  
  
"-You're illegal."  
  
Kyo's smile faltered for a second. Satoshi's eyes narrowed.  
  
"I'm sure this is some kind of misunderstanding," the boy replied, "Satoshi- kun, why do you have access to police files?"  
  
A strand of blue fell across Kyo's face. The boy's smile faded, eyes opening into seriousness. Satoshi leant down, his eyes narrowing into suspicious slits. He could feel the other boy's soft breath on his chin.  
  
"I have a feeling," he said, "that you already know the answer to that question."  
  
*****  
  
B.B.: Gomenen minasan! This is probably the shortest chapter I've ever written, and I've made you all wait so long. But I really need some inspiration. If any of you have any ideas, throw them at me.  
  
Tosh: however, the next chapter may not be started anytime soon.  
  
B.B.: Oh yeah, and that too. I'm going to Japan for exchange for a month. Writing will be a little slow. Bear with me. I'm determined to finish this fic. Thank you for all those who reviewed, firstly to those who reviewed for the second or third time. Thank you Ruby Moon - sorry for not updating as soon as I'd hoped for. Thank you Silver Tears with your DNAngel friends (?) I like reading your reviews. They seem to be the most creative. Thank you Digitalized, and in answer to your question, Mikada may be a boy, or he may be a donkey. I do not dare to hazard a guess. Last but not least, thank you Chibi Momoko. You pointed out the mistake I was hoping I could sneak around. Good job, Watson.  
  
Tosh: You really need a beta.  
  
B.B.: No, I really need a life. 


	5. 5

"I'm home!" Daisuke opened the door meekly, peeking around behind it. He stepped gingerly onto the mat inside, and closed the door carefully behind him. No traps so far. His day was looking up.  
  
"Dai-chun, you're home, how was your day?" Emiko clasped her hands to her chest, a mother's proud smile on her lips.  
  
"It was ok," Daisuke said, hesitating.  
  
He checked his surroundings once again, highly suspicious of his mother's intentions. Where was the obstacle of traps and tests his mother put him through after school every odd day? His mother beamed at him, standing lightly at the end of the corridor. It was suspicious that Emiko didn't come closer to greet her son. In fact, it was suspicious that she had come to greet him at all. Normally, Emiko would be in the kitchen preparing Daisuke's afternoon snack after he's been through his ever-changing challenge that looked like something out of Indiana Jones. A slightly upper class household should not have giant boulders positioned to roll down the stairs, or floor that seemed to be one big trapdoor. Sometimes Daisuke would stumble into the kitchen looking a bit scruffy with his uniform burnt, cut, torn and fraying. Other times he wouldn't.  
  
"What's wrong, Dai-chun?" Emiko smiled, knowing exactly what caused the growing suspicion in his son's eyes, "Come over and give your mum a hug."  
  
"There's no trapdoors?" Daisuke asked, taking off his shoes.  
  
"No trapdoors." Emiko replied in her sing song voice.  
  
"No dogs?" Daisuke leaned his schoolbag against the shoe rack.  
  
"No dogs."  
  
"No banana peels or electric doorknobs or trip wires that set off things?"  
  
"None of that today."  
  
With another glance at his mother, Daiske went for it. He grabbed his bag, and tried for the end of the corridor, moving as fast as he could. Emiko stood at the end, smiling, the perfect motherly picture. His heart lifted. Maybe today would be a good day.  
  
A gust of wind caught Daisuke off guard and he fell. Upwards. Toward the enormous vacuum machine that opened up into the roof. Even though he searched around frantically, there was nothing to grip onto to keep him grounded.  
  
"Make sure you're back in time for dinner, Daisuke," his mother called in her so very cheerful voice, "we are having guests."  
  
"Waaaaaaaaaaa."  
  
Nightfall. He sat at the desk, legs crossed, arms folded, waiting patiently for the police file to download. The room was dark, lit only by the pale blue glow of an IBM Laptop, casting silent shadows that Satoshi likened to the ones in his heart. His eyes were hidden behind glass mirrors of the screen, counting off the percent completed and patiently waiting for the rest.  
  
Mi. Ka. Da.  
  
The name hammered another nail into the side of his brain.  
  
"No, I don't need your help," the blonde said aloud, accessing the file he had just finished downloading.  
  
Oh. But you do, Satoshi-sama, for no matter how hard you search, you will not find the answer in that metal box of yours. They weren't in official documentation when I was born, and years past will not have changed a thing, knowing them.  
  
"Them?" Satoshi asked, swivelling his chair to face the gold-framed mirror he hung on his wall. Yet another cursed heirloom.  
  
Obscured by the uneven shadows, the Supreme Commander could just make out the features. He stared into the mirror, at the feral eyes that stared back. Amber eyes, alive with shades of madness and fury were not a foreign spectacle when Satoshi looked into the mirror. Krad.  
  
"Merchants and businessmen to put it politely," Krad grinned, knowing he had caught the boy's attention, "money and power enslaved criminals, if you want the truth."  
  
Given the opportunity, Satoshi knew that his alter ego would talk for hours non-stop, elaborating on every insignificant detail available until... well, the Supreme Commander hadn't ever known Krad to stop on his own accord.  
  
"Though, I must say, a family line that makes it's profit by doing anything for the right price is quite refreshing and useful at times," Krad continued, oblivious to the fact that Satoshi had returned to his computer, typing key phrases into the police search engine one after another. "In fact, both the DNAngel's lineages have depended on it at times."  
  
"What does that mean?" Satoshi asked carefully.  
  
"It means, master, that both sides, Dark's host and the Hikari family, have bought information, among other things, off the Mikada family in order to achieve our positions in the word today. Other than the enemy, this is probably one of the only other households who know our existence and prosper from it. An example of business would be in the previous generation where the Hikari family managed to acquire the blueprints of Winter's Grace castle and protect the Ivy's Embrace from the phantom thief. Mikada are never wrong, and they have the knack for arranging themselves in the best position for business."  
  
"So the reason that a Mikada has suddenly appeared..."  
  
"Is because the rats know that something is about to happen. Something that involves profit to be made."  
  
There was silence for a moment as Satoshi leaned back in his chair, taking in the information.  
  
"What could possibly be about to happen?" he mused to himself.  
  
B.B.: Meow. Sorry it took so long to write such a short chapter.  
  
Tosh: I don't think anyone's listening.  
  
B.B.: Shut up. I know the consequences of leaving a fic for, like, half a year! But to those who reviewed last time, thank you very much. To Silver Tears: you are crazy, I like it. And thanks to digitalize and JMJV. Your support is very encouraging. And thanks to Hikawa, though I found that ice chocolate works better for me.  
  
Tosh: Being the muse, I promise that I will have this author whip out another chapter very soon as compensation for her previous lack of inspiration. 


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